Air Battle over White Cliffs of Dover filmed by onboard camera on German Messerschmitt BF-109. Interesting dialogue for German speakers. A flight of 3 Messerschmitts do battle with two British Supermarine Spitfires.
Source: YouTube
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That isn’t the white cliffs of Dover. It is the Seven Sisters, west of Eastbourne (Beachy Head lighthouse gives it away)
Come to think of it, I doubt the lighthouse was painted in red and white stripes during WWII, what with various radar / radio stations immediately above it!
Good point!
Can anyone translate the dialogue, and is anything known of the outcome of the 2 planes that were hit?
Steve
I think this isn’t a 1940 real footage. It’s probably from a movie or some simulator. The image quality and the audio gives it away.
I tend to agree, certainly as far as the audio is concerned – not just for the technology but because of the vocabulary and way of speaking which sounds very contemporary. But the same person does have authentic footage on his YouTube channel…
I think that:
1) Color cameras were big and cumbersome at that time. They were not adequate for planes performing maneuvers and vibrating, much less giving a so stable image. It should have been mounted on some gyriscopic mount, what would be quite heavy and unlikely.
2) Gun cameras usually film only when shooting, in brief moments, in order to post analyse the damage of the attack.
3) Gun cameras don’t record audio. It saves on film and you would hear only the aircraft egines and machine guns anyway, and not the engine and “special effects” by other planes, like on this one.
I don’t think they would have a color camera that would fit in a Bf-109 cockpit with a pilot back then. Too bad they didn’t have GoPros back then . . .
The dialogue does not seem authentic. While certain german accents are clearly distinguishable, the voices do not reflect the level of immersion in the real situation one would expect to hear. The conclusion to “…go home, it has been a good day…” comes too soon and without reference to a mission objective. In the final seconds the conclusion of the wingman to turn away from the plane that was hit because he is out of fuel does seem even more unrealistic. specially considering the pilot of the damaged plane claims he can not get out. At the very least you would stay to witness the fate of your ‘Kammerad’, before you turn away.
I also agree with Alessandro’s assessment of Gun Camera’s of the time.